I’m DC RAINMAKER…
Here’s how to save!
Wanna save some cash and support the site? These companies help support the site! With Backcountry.com or Competitive Cyclist with either the coupon code DCRAINMAKER for first time users saving 15% on applicable products.
You can also pick-up tons of gear at REI via these links, which is a long-time supporter as well:
Alternatively, for everything else on the planet, simply buy your goods from Amazon via the link below and I get a tiny bit back as an Amazon Associate. No cost to you, easy as pie!
You can use the above link for any Amazon country and it (should) automatically redirect to your local Amazon site.
-
Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
-
5 Easy Steps To The Site
1
In Depth Product Reviews
You probably stumbled upon here looking for a review of a sports gadget. If you’re trying to decide which unit to buy – check out my in-depth reviews section. Some reviews are over 60 pages long when printed out, with hundreds of photos! I aim to leave no stone unturned.
2
Read My Sports Gadget Recommendations.
Here’s my most recent GPS watch guide here, and cycling GPS computers here. Plus there are smart trainers here, all in these guides cover almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Looking for the equipment I use day-to-day? I also just put together my complete ‘Gear I Use’ equipment list, from swim to bike to run and everything in between (plus a few extra things). And to compliment that, here’s The Girl’s (my wife’s) list. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!
3
Have some fun in the travel section.
I travel a fair bit, both for work and for fun. Here’s a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that I’ve put together and posted. I’ve sorted it all by world geography, in an attempt to make it easy to figure out where I’ve been.
4
My Photography Gear: The Cameras/Drones/Action Cams I Use Daily
The most common question I receive outside of the “what’s the best GPS watch for me” variant, are photography-esq based. So in efforts to combat the amount of emails I need to sort through on a daily basis, I’ve complied this “My Photography Gear” post for your curious minds (including drones & action cams!)! It’s a nice break from the day-to-day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!
5
The Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List
Many readers stumble into my website in search of information on the latest and greatest sports tech products. But at the end of the day, you might just be wondering “What does Ray use when not testing new products?”. So here is the most up to date list of products I like and fit the bill for me and my training needs best! DC Rainmaker 2024 swim, bike, run, and general gear list. But wait, are you a female and feel like these things might not apply to you? If that’s the case (but certainly not saying my choices aren’t good for women), and you just want to see a different gear junkies “picks”, check out The Girl’s Gear Guide too.
Running like a skirt
Yesterday was the Celtic Solstice 5-Miler held in Baltimore. A small group of us went up the night before and had a big ol’ slumber party. Well, as exciting a slumber party can be when you’re a bunch of runners … Read More Here
Tidal Basin 3K Race Report (oh…I kinda won)
It’s been about a year. A year since Peter first started poking me about coming out and running the Tidal Basin 3K monthly race. But earlier this week I poked him back and asked him if he was going to … Read More Here
Garmin Edge 705 In Depth Review
I picked up the Garmin Edge 705 back a few months ago in early September after going out for a 15 mile bike ride and while getting horribly lost I/we ended up cycling 50 miles. Amazingly, she still stuck with … Read More Here
Jingle Bell 10K Race Report – Umm..that hurt.
This past Sunday represented the last race of the year. Well, the last race I’d ‘race’ anyway. I still got some goodness coming up this weekend, but that’s just for fun. You say all races are fun? Umm…no…not all. Sure…before, … Read More Here
Late for the race
It started first with somehow showing up late to the race shuttle bus. Because I missed it I had to hitch a ride on a golf cart that speed to catch up to my wave. I arrived just in time … Read More Here
Baking the shoes – review of Sof Sole Energy foot beds
A few weeks back I was given the opportunity to review and check out a pair of Sof Sole Adapt Energy foot beds, as well as some socks. These are designed to fit into your shoes to more appropriately support … Read More Here
Slooooow cookin’
Yes – a double post! I meant to post this early this morning, but between an early morning bike (it’s back to double-workout days) and having to run downtown for meetings, it didn’t happen. Anyway… Since the winter months are … Read More Here
To improve my running, I need to improve my cycling
I was chatting with the coach the other day and noted that one of my goals for 2009 is to really improve on my run off the bike. I can run quite well independent of a triathlon, but my runs … Read More Here
The Ben and Jerry’s effect
Back a few weeks ago I finished up a workout, ate dinner and then sat around to watch TV and do stuff on my laptop. At some point along the way I became bored and decided to eat half a … Read More Here
A White Christmas (Tree) and a run in the snow
But before we can get to the Christmas Tree, we have to get beyond a run in the cold and some weight lifting. Yesterday’s morning run was quite a bit of fun. Well, I thought it was fun anyway – … Read More Here
Things I was going to blog about…
I was going to blog about the process of picking a coach, but I got lazy and busy and everything else that happens. So maybe I’ll write it up over the weekend I was going to blog about signing up … Read More Here
Swimming in the Potomac
I’ve been meaning to post this forever, mostly cause I have these totally awesome photos sitting in a folder. As some of you may know – you’re not allowed to swim in the Potomac river in the waters of the … Read More Here
Philadelphia Marathon 2008 Race Report
There’s really no better place to eat your night-before-the-race-dinner than a restaurant named the ‘Marathon Grill’. With that, begins my (hopefully quick but turned out not so quick) 2008 Philly Marathon Race report. Since the race was kinda a blur … Read More Here
Gobble Gobble
I had two different Turkey Trots lined up for Thanksgiving day. The first was a 5K held in nearby Arlington, VA. It’s in busy times like these that I forget to look at little details like…say…the elevation map. This was … Read More Here
Tuesday Tidbits
I haven’t posted my Philly Race Report, as I’m going to wait till tomorrow evening for the official photos to get posted. Post-Marathon Sunday night I did a trainer ride, and then I swam yesterday – just a 1,000M or … Read More Here
BQ Baby…BQ!
Things went spectacular at the Philadelphia Marathon today. Finished in 2:54:39 at a pace of 6:39 – which gave me plenty of time for a Boston Qualifying (BQ) time. This is awesome in that it both qualified for the Boston … Read More Here
Funny guy, ehh?
This morning sent out a calendar placeholder (out of office – OOF) for an upcoming vacation I have planned for the end of the month. My e-mail was very short, and not too descriptive beyond basically saying “I’m not really … Read More Here
Winter is here
Well, ok, maybe not exactly winter. But…it technically snowed today. I saw it with my own eyes. It may have been sunny out at the time, but that’s besides the point. For a few short minutes – snow came down. … Read More Here
Pumpkin Eater
Back a few weeks ago I picked up a few pumpkins – one for cooking and one for carving. Since then, I’ve been serving up all sorts of random pumpkin creations, kinda like the Blueberry post this past summer. But … Read More Here
Training Logs
I’ve used a lot of training logs over the past two years. I’m kinda a training records nut-case. I want to know what I did, when I did it, and I want to be able to follow trends (which as … Read More Here
Gambling at the track
First, it was off to San Fran on an early Tuesday morning flight. After landing, I ping-ponged back east again over the Sierra Nevada mountains. We descended past the bright red rocks of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation area. And … Read More Here
Spinning around after a long run
There are few times in my little athletic life where working out after I’ve already worked out sound appealing. I’ve just finished another 20+ miler and my legs are already unhappy with me, but what’s on the schedule? A bike … Read More Here
Loops, Flips and More Loops
Loops Saturday marked the beginning of the taper for the Philly Marathon in two weeks. It included an interesting run workout that I hadn’t done before. It started off with a 10 minute warm up, and then stepped down temporarily … Read More Here
Finalizing the list and checking it thirty billion times
It’s not even the end of the race year yet – and I’m already putting on the finishing touches for next year. One of the sucky things (actually, really the only sucky thing) about triathlons is how early the races … Read More Here
The miracles of degreaser
If you’re a triathlete or cyclist – then you likely find bike grease on just about every object you own. And if you’re a runner, then you’ll still find this stuff pretty darn cool. Back last winter the bike shop … Read More Here